Tonight, noted writer, critic and curator, Vince Aletti, will be in conversation with graphic designer Ruth Ansell and creative director Sam Shadid about his latest book, ISSUES: A History of Photography in Fashion Magazines, at The Cooper Union. He recently conducted this exclusive interview for DART by email. Above: Spread from the April 1965 issue of Harpers Bazaar; photos © Richard Avedon Peggy Roalf: … Read the full Story >>
Over the years, Marshall Arisman's name has become synonymous with the Illustration as Visual Essay program at the School of Visual Arts. The celebrated artist and illustrator organized the MFA program in 1984 and today remains its chair. Among the artists of the day who found their voice through this intense two-year program are Nathan Fox, Douglas Fraser, Eddie Guy, John Hendrix, Paul Hoppe, … Read the full Story >>
A career-spanning retrospective of Irving Penn (1917-2009), one of the great innovators of 20th-century photography, opens on Monday at The Met Fifth Avenue. Trained as a painter, Penn first entered the magazine world as an unpaid editorial assistant to the legendary Harper’s Bazaar at director Alexey Brodovitch, in 1936. While an art director in Saks Fifth Avenue’s advertising department two years later, Penn took … Read the full Story >>
Like self-portraiture, still life is a genre that many artists and photographers gravitate to, if only because offers a wealth of subject matter that is usually very convenient. Choice of subject and the arrangement of objects is another story - and the one that generally separates art from mere massing. When I learned that curator and critic Vince Aletti had chosen the genre for … Read the full Story >>
Daniel Horowitz is a designer/artist/illustrator who works out of his storefront studio in DUMBO’s Vinegar Hill. I recently saw his self-published book, 365, which has been selected for the forthcoming American Illustration 31, and contacted him for this email Q&A. Peggy Roalf: The idea of a calendar that is not a grid page with numbers, and spaces to make notes, is a … Read the full Story >>
I had email this morning from Shahidul Alam, photographer and founder of the DrikNews photo agency, director of the Chobi Mela International Festival of Photography, and founder of the Drik Picture Library, Dhaka, Bangladesh. In his blog, SHAHIDULNEWS, a recent article by Sreenivasan Jain of Mumbai tells the story of his grandparents (above), both activists who were jailed during India’s independence movement. In this post, Mr. Jain tells of the risks they … Read the full Story >>
New York’s independent booksellers offer shelter from the storm of holiday shopping and plenty of eye candy in the form of photo books, illustrated books, prints and objects. DART’s list of NYC’s best follows, in geographic order [south to north, then east], with a few new entries this year, including the magnificent new Rizzoli Bookstore, in the Flatiron District, and Albertine Books, uptown at the French Embassy. Downtown … Read the full Story >>
I saw work by Huang Xiaoliang at AIPAD 2013 and liked it for its evocations of blissed out moments chilled by a lurking menace. An exhibition of Huang's new work, Endless Summer, goes on display next week at M97 Gallery, in Shanghai. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, September 7th, from 4-6 pm. Endless Summer by Huang Xiaoliang. M97 … Read the full Story >>
With a shared sensibility and approach to design, graphic designer Paula Scher and illustrator Seymour Chwast have transformed their fields of practice. Celebrating the achievements of this creative couple, whose work is being shown together for the first time, this exhibition includes images in a wide range of formats, selected and installed by Chwast (American, born 1931) and Scher (American, born 1948). The exhibition demonstrates Chwast’s deeply personal vision, inspired by sources as diverse … Read the full Story >>
For the March/April issue of Photograph magazine, author and curator Vince Aletti wrote a piece on American Photography 29: I’m a fan of Top 10 lists, anthologies, and collections of all sorts, so the American Photography annuals always appeal to me. Issue #29 (Amilus/D.A.P.), surveying editorial and personal work from 2012, is typical in its heft, range, and organization. Because the photographs are arranged … Read the full Story >>
Thursday, November 6, 6-8pm: Louise Bourgeois | Gathering Wool at Hauser & Wirth The exhibition takes its title from an enigmatic work Bourgeois created in 1990. Gathering wool is an expression signifying rumination, daydreaming, letting the mind wander—a break from conscious, purposive thinking. This was the mental state in which Bourgeois worked as she experimented with forms and processes in her studio. She trusted the … Read the full Story >>
For anyone born after 1996, or new to New York City, prepare yourself for the kind of resourcefulness that rose to the front after 9/11. The kindness and reaching out that seemed to come out of nowhere has become habit, so following is a sample of how people and businesses are carrying on—big time—in the age of COVID-19. Above: Jacob Lawrence, from The … Read the full Story >>
With most of New York's galleries on the verge of their annual August snooze, art world sizzle had just about vacated our town. That is, until El Museo del Barrio opened its 5th bienal on Wednesday night. Billed 007: The (S) Files, the show is designed to put the museum on the map for those unaware of the city's premier venue for Latino … Read the full Story >>
One of my favorite questions in the DART Q&A is: What are some of your favorite places/books/blogs/websites for inspiration? In procrastination mode a bit myself, and firmly opposed [at the moment] to Chuck Close’s advice [Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work.], I checked in. Here are some locations: Simone MissoniThisiscolossal.com which I was introduced to almost a year ago … Read the full Story >>
David Bailey: Diana Vreeland and Alex Liberman, 1977, © David Bailey. Jacket image for Alex Liberman: Ways of Thinking About Design, by Lucy Sisman and Veronique Vienne. Sunday, Oct 6, Panel discussion and book signing, 7:30 pm: The Legacy of Alexander Liberman. Lucy Sisman, the first design director of Allure, talks about his work with two other Conde Nast design directors, Veronique Vienne and Lloyd Ziff. A reception follows for … Read the full Story >>
In this decade, the question, “What is a document?” has been folded into the larger question, “What is a photograph?” The title of this regular feature is derived from French deconstructionist philosopher Jacques Derrida’s seminal 1964 lecture entitled “The Concept of the Archive.” In this piece, published in English in 1998, Derrida explores Sigmund Freud’s efforts, in the 1890s, to identify the separation—and interaction—between … Read the full Story >>
The first question I'm usually asked these days is, "What made you decide to live in Oaxaca, Mexico?" This brings to mind some dialogue from the movie Casablanca: Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains): "What in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca?" Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart): "My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters." Captain Renault: "The waters? What waters? We're in the desert!" … Read the full Story >>
Last Friday, on my way to an opening in NoHo, I stopped to visit artist/illustrator and frequent DART contributor Fernanda Cohen on the job. She had mentioned a while back that she was doing a mural project for a downtown restaurant and I wanted to se what was up. When I arrived at the dark entrance, her studio assistant, Manolo M., led me to … Read the full Story >>
Photographers: If your 90% perspiration could use a 10% boost of inspiration, the menu of workshops at Photoville this weekend might be just what’s wanted. Starting Thursday, September 26, Luminance/Photoshelter offers a series of 45-minute talks featuring industry experts and top photographers on subjects as divers as copyright protection; the photo shoot; getting your work into a gallery; publishing your photobook; and so much more. That’s just the … Read the full Story >>
The Armory Show at the Javiatz Center, September 8-11 A cornerstone of New York’s cultural landscape since its founding in 1994, The Armory Show brings the world’s leading international contemporary and modern art galleries to New York each year. With over 240 galleries from 30 countries, the 2022 edition features solo exhibitions of international artists at 16 galleries; FOCUS: Landscape Undone, curated by Carla Acevedo-Yates, presenting artists … Read the full Story >>
